CHARLES H. OSTROM, CDR, USN

Charles Ostrom '30

Date of birth: November 3, 1908

Date of death: November 24, 1943

Age: 35

Lucky Bag

From the 1930 Lucky Bag:

CHARLES HOWARD OSTROM

At Large

"Whitey" "Swede" "Charlie"

FROM his Viking ancestors Whitey has inherited a natural love of the sea. His boyhood days near the ocean did not lessen that attraction, and the result is that Whitey has turned to the sea for his life's work. Severn school prepared him for his debut into the ranks of the mariners, and he came to the Naval Academy with an engaging manner that soon won him many friends.

Plebe year turned out to be a struggle for his unusually carefree nature. When he was not disturbed by the ever-present upper classmen, the Dago department was sure to take its toll of grief. But he weathered the stormy trials of that year successfully and has had easy sailing the rest of the time.

Since the days of his high school triumphs at the game, lacrosse has held a gripping interest for Whitey. On the football field, too, he felt at home, and was quarterback of the class championship team in twenty-eight.

The air service has been a deep-rooted ambition of his since his first day as a Plebe. That goal once gained, Whitey will feel that life, after all, is worth living.

Lacrosse 4, 3, 2; Class Swimming 2; Class Football 2, 1; Water Polo 2; Chairman Class Crest Committee; 2 P.O.

CHARLES HOWARD OSTROM

At Large

"Whitey" "Swede" "Charlie"

FROM his Viking ancestors Whitey has inherited a natural love of the sea. His boyhood days near the ocean did not lessen that attraction, and the result is that Whitey has turned to the sea for his life's work. Severn school prepared him for his debut into the ranks of the mariners, and he came to the Naval Academy with an engaging manner that soon won him many friends.

Plebe year turned out to be a struggle for his unusually carefree nature. When he was not disturbed by the ever-present upper classmen, the Dago department was sure to take its toll of grief. But he weathered the stormy trials of that year successfully and has had easy sailing the rest of the time.

Since the days of his high school triumphs at the game, lacrosse has held a gripping interest for Whitey. On the football field, too, he felt at home, and was quarterback of the class championship team in twenty-eight.

The air service has been a deep-rooted ambition of his since his first day as a Plebe. That goal once gained, Whitey will feel that life, after all, is worth living.

Lacrosse 4, 3, 2; Class Swimming 2; Class Football 2, 1; Water Polo 2; Chairman Class Crest Committee; 2 P.O.

Loss

Charles was lost on November 24, 1943 when USS Liscome Bay (CVE 56) was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine.

Other Information

From USS Liscome Bay Crew list:

F4F Wilcat Ace (7 Japs). Dist. Flying Cross, 2 Air Medals. Purple Heart. Son C.H. Ostrom Jr. USNA 1958, Grandson LT Brian S. Ostrom USNA 1983, Great Grandson Sgt. Brian S. Ostrom, Jr. 2nd Recon Bn.

The above link also claims he was the embarked composite squadron's commanding officer; this is incorrect. (It also lists him as aboard from November 1, 1941, but the ship was not commissioned until August 1943.) Unclear on what unit or billet he was assigned, though he was not the ship's commanding officer, executive officer, or the chief of staff of the embarked admiral.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Charles had a presidential appointment to the Naval Academy.
On March 21, 1931, Charles sailed from Cristobal, Canal Zone, to New Orleans. His address in the U. S. was the U.S.N. Air Station, Pensacola, Florida.
On June 28, 1935, Charles, his wife Laurie and one-year-old son Charles, Jr., sailed from Los Angeles to Honolulu.
In 1940, his wife and son lived in Lynnhaven, Virginia.
When reported missing, Charles was operations officer on the staff of Rear Admiral Henry Mullinix.
His father was Carl who in June, 1900, was quartermaster 3”C on the U.S.S. Prairie, stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. He later served on USS Stevens, USS Pueblo and USS Sirius. Charles’ mother was Marie, and his brothers were Lennart and Magnus who both served in the Navy.

From the Press and Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, New York, August 27, 1943, via Kathy Franz:

By Leif Erickson, Associated Press Staff Writer
Guadalcanal, Aug. 21 (Delayed) – The Blackjack fighter squadron’s men know they are good. There’s nothing of conceit about it. Their quiet, matter-of-face confidence is something that doesn’t need talking about.
The Blackjacks, a U. S. Navy fighter squadron commanded by Lieut. Comm. Charles H. (Whitey) Ostrom of Miami, Fla., proved themselves in a hurry. Flying F4F Grumann Wildcats, they were born as a squadron organization last May 15, and fought their first air battle June 30. The overwhelming American victory of that day – 103 Jap planes destroyed against 12 of ours lost – decisively clipped the enemy’s air strength in the Solomons at the outset of the New Georgia invasion.
The Blackjacks’ score was 32 Japs shown down, two pilots lost.
The squadron went into that fight untried and emerged as proved pilots. More important, each Blackjack pilot learned that he could count on his mates for protection. They were a team.
Get 60 in Month
With their running start of 32 planes in one day, the Blackjacks built their score in one month to a total of 60. Nine of their fliers were lost or listed as missing in action. Some of the missing have a chance to get back.
The Blackjacks’ F4F’s didn’t come near the enemy’s Zero in speed, maneuverability or climb. But the F4F is a slugger in firepower. The tactics employed by the squadron are something the Nipponese air commanders can keep worrying about.
More intriguing than their combat tactics are the Blackjacks’ men. From Skipper Whitey Ostrom down to Charles Samardzich – Sam, the comfort man – they are an array of oddly mixed personalities and backgrounds.
Son of a Swedish father who became a U. S. Navy lieutenant, blond, balding, blue-eyed Ostrom was graduated from Annapolis in 1930, has been flying ever since. He’s the squadron’s only Annapolis officer besides Lieut. Earl Spaulding, Pensacola, Fla., the medical officer.

From The Miami Herald, February 13, 1944, via Kathy Franz:

Award of the Air Medal to Comdr. Charles H. (Whitey) Ostrom, USN, of Miami, who has been officially reported missing in the sinking of the Escort Carrier Liscome Bay during the conquest of the Gilbert Islands, was announced Saturday by President Roosevelt. . . .
Commander Ostrom’s citation from the President signed by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, read in part:
“For meritorious achievement while participating in aerial combat as commander of Fighter Squadron 21 operating in the Solomon Islands area from June 21 to Aug. 2, 1943. Leading his flight of 15 fighters against a superior number of hostile bombers and Zeros striking at our shipping on June 30, Lt. Comdr. Ostrom daringly placed his planes between the enemy and our vessels and, maneuvering his three-plane division against the head of the Japanese column, launched a devastating attack. Despite terrific anti-aircraft fire, his division destroyed three enemy bombers in flames while his entire squadron accounted for 19 Zeros and 11 twin-engined bombers and completely disrupted the Japanese formation.”

Charles was credited with seven air-to-air victories in World War II.

His wife was listed as next of kin.

Photographs

From the Times Union on February 8, 1937. "Lieutenant H. Ostrom (above), of 214 70th St., a graduate of Erasmus Hall High School, plotted the course of the squadron of 12 Navy seaplanes which soared from San Diego, Cal., to Honolulu, a distance of 2,553 miles, and back, to complete the longest over-water mass flight in aviation history.
Ostrom, who was graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1930, was chief navigator of the squadron which made the flight with flawless precision and in record time as a “routine transfer of equipment.” He had previously served on six naval vessels, the New Mexico, Argonne, Wright, Lexington, Saratoga and Swan. The last four were airplane carriers."
From The Miami Herald on August 28, 1943
From The Miami Herald on December 8, 1943

Distinguished Flying Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Commander Charles H. Ostrom, United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while commanding a Fighter Squadron in the Solomon Islands from 2 to 20 February 1943. Commander Ostrom directed attacks on shore installations at Munda Point and on 20 Japanese destroyers. On the latter occasion his squadron shot down seven enemy fighters, enabling our bombers to carry out their attacks unmolested and score two direct hits on two destroyers.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 320 (November 1943)
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander

Note

Charles is listed on the Class of 1930 panel as if he was lost in November 1944; as he was listed as missing, this was the standard official date of death (year + 1 day).

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

October 1930

Ensign, USS New Mexico

Others at this command:

LTjg Willford Hyman '24

ENS John Burke '28

ENS Byron Newell '30

Others at or embarked at this command:

LCDR Charles Cecil '16 (Battleship Division 4)

LTjg Gerald Dyson '27 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)

January 1931

Ensign, USS New Mexico

Others at this command:

LTjg Willford Hyman '24

ENS John Burke '28

ENS Byron Newell '30

Others at or embarked at this command:

LTjg Gerald Dyson '27 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 3B)

October 1931

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

April 1932

Ensign, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 7F, USS Argonne

October 1932

Ensign, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 7F, USS Argonne

January 1933

Ensign, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 7F, USS Argonne

April 1933

Ensign, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 7F, USS Argonne

Others at or embarked at USS Argonne:

LTjg Eugene Sarsfield '26 (USS Argonne)
ENS Edward Allen '31 (USS Argonne)

ENS John Huntley '31 (USS Argonne)

July 1933

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

ENS John Yoho '29

ENS Victor Gaulin '30

ENS Lance Massey '30

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR Ryland Tisdale '15 (USS Lexington)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)

October 1933

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

LTjg John Yoho '29

ENS Victor Gaulin '30

ENS Lance Massey '30

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR Ryland Tisdale '15 (USS Lexington)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)

April 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

LCDR William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
2LT Ernest Pollock '28 (Scouting Squadron 14-M)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)

ENS George Stone '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
ENS George Ottinger '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Frank Latta '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)

July 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LTjg Loren Morris '27

LTjg Carl Lindgren '28

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Patten '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
ENS James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)

ENS George Stone '31 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
ENS James Kelsey, Jr. '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)

October 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LTjg Loren Morris '27

LTjg Carl Lindgren '28

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

CDR Walter Webster '11 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (USS Saratoga)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)

LTjg Robert Patten '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS George Stone '31 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)

January 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LTjg Loren Morris '27

LTjg Carl Lindgren '28

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

CDR Walter Webster '11 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (USS Saratoga)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)

LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg George Stone '31 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)

April 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LTjg Loren Morris '27

LTjg Edward Blessman '31

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

CDR Walter Webster '11 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (USS Saratoga)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)

LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)